The Astor Theatre is one of Melbourne’s last remaining (and much-loved) Art Deco cinemas. It remans as a single-screen venue – one of the last of its kind in Australia, and certainly the largest still-operating relic of the era of the picture palace in Melbourne. In recent years it has been the subject of a number of owners, both of …

In the last issue we reported on possible problems with the future of the iconic 1936 Astor Theatre in St Kilda. Numerous rumours were circulating about it possibly being sold by St Michael’s Grammar School, perhaps to a ‘white knight’. This turned out to be correct. In August 2012, St Kilda businessman Ralph Taranto bought the Astor for an undisclosed …

A major preservation battle has broken out over the future of the iconic Astor Theatre in St Kilda. Constructed in 1936, the theatre (with its neon spangled facade) is famous for its double-bill cult and arthouse classics and is Melbourne’s last operational single screen cinema. It is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and is not threatened with demolition. The …